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In a discussion among my online friends about web-based custom dressmakers, one name recurred: eShakti. Founded in 2001, the site “specializes in mass-customization of designer clothes for women.” “These are much drooled over by ladies I know,” writes cataloging professor Cheryl Tarsala. eShakti offers a selection of stylish dresses, tops, skirts and jackets in sizes ranging from 0 to 36W. The garments can also be cut to custom measurements, since the clothing is not assembled until it is ordered. Prices range from $39.95 – $129.

“eShakti means the power of the Net since Shakti means power in Sanskrit,” says CEO B.G. Krishnan. “Our fashion has this rather well-defined retro-modern quality now. And the fact that we give customers the option to change the styling – the sleeve or neckline or length – makes it unique.”

Even though the clothes are made to order, in California, New York and India, they can be returned free of charge. “The business model is sheer genius,” writes Tarsala.

My son Peter returned from his Oxford year abroad with his glasses in pieces. Time for a new pair! But he did not want those boring ones for sale at the neighborhood optometrist. As befitted his globetrotting scholar persona, my boy wanted a stylish pair of peepers.

Most of the world’s glasses are now made by the Italian conglomerate Luxottica (http://www.luxottica.com). This corporation not only controls 80% of the world’s major eyewear brands, but also owns retailers such as LensCrafters and even the vision care insurance company EyeMed Vision Care. Luxottica has been accused of using its monopoly to unfairly hike the prices of its brands, which include Ray-Ban and Armani. (Arends, Brett. “Are Designer Sunglasses Worth the Price?” June 22, 2010, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704518904575365362932852610.html)

Yet Luxottica now has a competitor. Warby Parker (http://www.warbyparker.com) was founded in 2010 by University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School classmates Jeffrey Raider, Andrew Hunt, Neil Blumenthal and David Gilboa. These gents aimed to provide stylish eyewear for reasonable prices by designing the frames in-house and then selling directly to the customer over the web or in their own stores, without middle-man markups. Many of their frames cost only $95 and none are over $150. In a charity bonus, for every pair that they sell, Warby Parker donates a pair of glasses to non-profit organizations like Vision Spring (http://visionspring.org).

Peter admires the vintage-inspired design of Warby Parker glasses, and so he visited the site and uploaded his picture to virtually try on the frames. He chose five and had them delivered via the site’s “Home Try-On” feature, which allows customers to sample frames for seven days and then return them at no charge. It turned out that his virtual selections didn’t suit him in real life, so he visited Warby Parker’s Los Angeles store for his final selection. Still, his experience shows that it is now possible to purchase an accessory as unique as prescription eyeglasses entirely over the web.

Philadelphia’s Sarah Wagner is on a mission to bring manufacturing back to the United States. To that end, she urges all of us to try to buy Christmas gifts that are made in America. Although it is difficult to find electronics and appliances that are manufactured domestically, Wagner says that things like jewelry, cosmetics, clothing and candy are not hard to find. Craft fairs and the site Etsy.com are sure-fire places to locate locally produced gifts.

Wagner advises shoppers to check the tags on products in big box stores like Target or WalMart or department stores like Nordstrom and Bloomingdales for domestically made goods. She found products ranging from candles to cast iron cookware that were made in the U.S.A.

Wagner and her staff highlight deals on American goods on her blog USA Love List.

From now through January 7, better living through the Internet can be yours at 33% off! Plus free shipping in the continental U.S. Order a copy for you and one for your mom. The Internet Book of Life makes a great holiday gift. Just apply the promo code ITIFW12 when you check out.

This non-profit organization, founded in 1997 by Richard Sagall, MD and Libby Overly, MSW, runs a database that can connect disadvantaged patients with the Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) run by pharmaceutical companies. Search the site to find links for discounted medications and disease-based information and assistance. In Spanish: http://www.es.needymeds.org/index_es.htm.

Your romance has gone south. You were going to have a beautiful future together but now your dreams are smashed. What will you do with those earrings, that engagement ring, that wedding dress that you will never wear? Why not put them up for sale, accompanied by the sad tale about how these things became radioactive to you. You’ll cleanse your closet and your heart and make bucks in the bargain.

On the other hand, if your love is thriving, visit this site for bargain wedding togs!

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Irene E. McDermott

Irene McDermott is a writer and librarian in California. Read her latest book, The Internet Book of Life, available through Amazon and the publisher: http://books.infotoday.com/books/Internet-Book-of-Life.shtml